Husayn IBN ALI

al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب‎‎; 8 January 626 CE – 10 October 680 CE) (3rd / 4th Sha'aban 4 AH – 10th Muharram 61 AH), sometimes spelled Hussein, was the son of Ali ibn Abi Ṭalib (fourth Rashidun Caliph of Sunni Islam, and first Imam of Shia Islam) and Fatimah Zahra (daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad) and the younger brother of Hasan ibn Ali. Husayn is an important figure in Islam, as he is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt (the household of Muhammad) and Ahl al-Kisa, as well as being the third Shia Imam.

Husayn is highly regarded by Shia Muslims because he refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid I,[6] the Umayyad caliph because he considered the rule of the Umayyads unjust.[6] As a consequence, he left Medina, his home town, and traveled to Mecca. There, the people of Kufa sent letters to him, asking his help and pledging their allegiance to him. So he traveled toward Kufa.[7] At Karbala his caravan was intercepted by Yazid's army. He was killed and beheaded in the Battle of Karbala in 680 (61 AH) by Shimr Ibn Thil-Jawshan, along with most of his family and companions.[8] The annual memorial for him, his family, his children and his As'haab (companions) is called Ashura (tenth day of Muharram) and is a day of mourning for Shi'i Muslims.

The tragedy in Karbala has had an impact on religious conscience of Muslims beyond its sacredness among Shiites.[9] In the long term, the cruel killings at Karbala became an example of the brutality of the Umayyads and fueled the later Shiite movements.[10] Anger at Husayn's death was turned into a rallying cry that helped undermine and ultimately overthrow the Umayyad Caliphate.

According to most reports, Husayn was born on 10 January 626 CE (3 / 5 Sha'aban 4 AH).[12]

Husayn and his brother Hasan were the last descendants of Muhammad living during his lifetime and remaining after his death. There are many accounts of his love for them which refer to them together.[12]

Muhammad is reported to have said that whoever loves them has loved him and whoever hates them has hated him. A famous narration declares them the "Masters of the Youth of Paradise"; this has been particularly important for the Shia who have used it in support of the right of Muhammad's descendants to succeed him. Other traditions record Muhammad with his grandsons on his knees, on his shoulders, and even on his back during prayer at the moment of prostrating himself, when they were young.

According to Wilferd Madelung, Muhammad loved them and declared them as his Ahl al-Bayt very frequently. According to popular Sunni belief, it refers to the household of Muhammad. Shia popular view is the members of Muhammad's family that were present at the incident of Mubahala. According to Muhammad Baqir Majlisi who compiled Bihar al-Anwar, a collection of ahadith, Chapter 46 Verse 15 (Al-Ahqaf) and Chapter 89 Verses 27-30 (Al-Fajr) of the Quran are regarding Husayn ibn-Ali.

A collection of Hadith tells that during the 9th – 10th year after Hijra an Arab Christian envoy from Najran (currently in northern Yemen and partly in Saudi Arabia) came to Muhammad to argue which of the two parties erred in its doctrine concerning Jesus (Isa).[15]

After likening Jesus' miraculous birth to Adam's (Adem) creation,[16] — who was born to neither a mother nor a father — Muhammad called them to Mubahala (the cursing of the lower party) where each party should ask God to destroy the false party and their families. Muhammad, to prove himself to them as a prophet, brought his daughter Fatimah, son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib, and both of his grandsons, Hasan and Husayn, and came back to the Christians and said to them "This is my family, the (Ahl al-Bayt)" and covered himself and his family with a cloak.

According to this story, the Christians then agreed to a peace treaty and told Muhammad that they would not return.

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